Tag Archives: organic

I’m not a germaphobe*. I don’t obsessively wash my hands and don’t get grossed out by touching things like feet or door knobs. Because of this, I’ve never really been one to scrub my fruit and veggies clean before I pop them in my mouth. In my recent go organic efforts, I’ve become hyper aware that the waxy coating on my apple is a nasty chemical. Here’s what I found about getting those pesticides off:

Rule number one: Wash your fruits like you wash your hands: “Use soap, Jimmy!” Mom and Dad were right: just running your mitts or your munchies under tap water does little to remove oily grime. Agricultural pesticides do not come off in water, either. If they did, farmers would have to apply them after each rain or even a heavy dew. That would be both labor-intensive and expensive. So petrochemical companies make pesticides with chemical “stickers” that are insoluble in water. They do their job and stay on the fruit, rain or shine.

Soap, or detergent, is more effective in removing pesticide residues than you think. Rinse until the water is clear. When you handle the detergent-washed fruit, you will also notice that it feels different, too. We are so used to fruit with chemical coatings on it that when we touch truly clean fruit, it’s a new tactile experience. Go ahead, try it. Nobody’s looking. (via doctoryourself.com)

(via weheartit)

Or make it easy on yourself and buy produce that is less contaminated.

12 Most Contaminated (aka the Dirty Dozen)

Peaches

Apples

Sweet Bell Peppers

Celery

Nectarines

Strawberries

Cherries

Pears

Grapes (Imported)

Spinach

Lettuce

Potatoes

12 Least Contaminated

Onions

Avocado

Sweet Corn (Frozen)

Pineapples

Mango

Asparagus

Sweet Peas (Frozen)

Kiwi Fruit

Bananas

Cabbage

Broccoli

Papaya

*spell check offered ‘hermaphrodite’ as the correct spelling of this word. hm.